CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Sophie Medellin hit her third and fourth home runs of the weekend, while Acacia Anders also homered twice as the California softball team made it eight straight victories with two wins Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.    

The Bears (13-2) defeated Cal Poly 8-3 in the rain-delayed first game of the day and came-from-behind late to take down Iowa 6-4 in the second of a back-to-back at the Big League Dreams Complex.  

Game 1 – Cal 8, Cal Poly 3    
The Bears took the momentum early, scoring a run on two Medellin steals, the second coming when she swiped home to make it 1-0 in the second frame. Annabel Teperson was able to keep the Mustang hitters off balance through three, allowing just a run on three hits as the game went to the fourth tied 1-1.

Anders led off the fourth with her first home run of the season, a shot to dead centerfield, starting a Cal rally. Makena Smith doubled to left and back-to-back RBI hits from Kacey Zobac and Kennedy Thomas put the Bears in front, 4-1.

Cal Poly got a run back in the home fourth and fifth as Anna Reimers came on in relief and struck out a Mustang to end the home fourth with a one-run lead. Adding insurance in the sixth, Smith recorded an RBI single and Zobac got the job done with an RBI groundout to put Cal in front, 6-3.

The Bears added two more in the seventh on Medellin's third home run of the weekend and a Smith flyout to give Cal an 8-3 lead as Reimers closed it out for her first save of the season.

Game 2 – Cal 6, Iowa 4
Tianna Bell put the Bears on top in the first by crushing a two-out, 2-run home run, plating Smith who led off the game with a double to the wall in center. Haylei Archer started in the circle for Cal and continued her early-season dominance, allowing just a pair of Hawkeye hits and no runs heading to the fourth frame.

Iowa was able to get to Archer in the fourth, however, taking its first lead at 3-2 on three hits and a Cal error. The Hawkeyes added another in the fifth on two singles and a passed ball leading the Bears to bring in Reimers in relief. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native got out of the inning unscathed and the momentum shifted in the sixth.

Elon Butler scored on a passed ball to make it 4-3, Iowa, which brought Anders to the plate and she hit her second long ball of the day, a 2-run laser to center that put the Bears on top, 5-4. Medellin added insurance in the seventh with her fourth home run of the weekend and sixth of the season as Reimers shut down the Hawkeyes, earning the win after going 3.0 innings and allowing just two hits.

UP NEXT
Cal finishes play at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with an 11:30 a.m. first pitch against Texas Tech on Sunday, Feb. 25.   

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